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Jun 30, 2015 at 8:35 AM

Around forty (40) RDPO community members attended the RDPO's first ever panel presentation -- "Weather - Water - Wildfire" -- on June 29, 2015 at Metro's Council Chambers in Portland. Nine subject matter experts from federal, state, regional and local agencies, spanning weather forecasting/warning, forest protection, wildfire response and coordination and municipal water supply emergency management presented in answer to these and other questions:

1. What weather/potential climate change factors contributed to the low snow pack in the mountains this past winter and what is the weather forecast for the next several months?

2. What is the impact of the low snow pack on watersheds/sources of municipal water and other natural resources in the region? What are water providers doing to prepare for and prevent wildfires around their water sources and watersheds?

3. How are the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, the Oregon Department of Forestry and some of our local fire agencies preparing for potential urban interface wildfires and other wildfires in and outside out region? How are wildfire preparedness and response activities coordinated? What were some of the key lessons learned last year that can be applied to this season's planning and preparedness efforts?